Mistress's Renewed Debt to You Su

You Su finally figured out the source of Elder Liu and the other man's strange intentions. The Book Mountain Pavilion sent were all the most suitable for newcomers, but the book they sent him was a book with aphrodisiac properties.

He could only manage a wry smile; of all the books that could have been chosen with that Golden Paper, he had to pick this one that would cause misunderstandings.

But then he couldn't help but wonder, were these spiritual objects really just randomly chosen books for him? With such a vast mountain of books, You Su didn't believe there wasn't another book on Sword Nurturing Art, yet the Golden Paper had chosen this one. Did it truly believe he would use the book's second effect in the future?

"What a joke!" You Su thought to himself with disdain. He was just a Blood Qi young man, at the age when his "sword's edge" was at its sharpest. Why would he need to borrow anything else?

"Sun Yang Venerable is truly a genius, having reached the point where even external objects can be transformed into swords."

Although You Su felt he wouldn't need the skills, he still sincerely admired Sun Yang Venerable's ingenious ideas.

Seeing You Su Suqing's clear and open demeanor, Elder Liu's strange expression lessened considerably, and he said:

"Indeed, your aura is strong and pure. The Book Mountain Pavilion gave you this book for no other reason than that. Cultivate this Sword Nurturing Art diligently, and you will surely benefit immensely. Now that you dao companion, you don't need to regard dual cultivation as something evil, but you must also refrain from indulging in lust."

"You Su will remember," You Su replied, bowing respectfully.

"Hmm." Elder Liu nodded approvingly. "The True Disciple wooden plaque on your waist has the ability to transmit sound. During the seven-day public notice period, if anyone has any objections to you, I will notify you, and you will need to come down the mountain to deal with it."

"Thank you, Elder Liu."

"Alright, go back now. Your senior sister has been waiting for you for a long time. It seems that Wangshu Fairy cares a lot about you, her junior brother."

Elder Liu murmured softly, glancing again at the end of the corridor beside him, where a pure white silhouette stood beside a stone pillar, silently looking in their direction.

You Su was stunned for a moment. He also looked in the direction Elder Liu had turned his head. At the limit of his Divine Sense's reach, the ball of white light belonging to his senior sister appeared there. Just now, his Divine Sense was basically focused on the stone gate, and he hadn't noticed his senior sister's presence at all.

"Senior Sister is kind-hearted, so it's understandable that she'd want to take care of a blind person like me. Elder Liu, Elder Zhu You Su, I'll take my leave now."

Elder Liu gave a soft "hmm," while Elder Zhu looked at You Su putting away the <Sun Yang Sword Nurturing Art> with a regretful expression, saying with a look of reluctance:

"You Su, remember to come to Ancient Moon Residence for meals often! If you can bring your senior sister along, I'll let you eat all the Hunyuan Ginseng!"

Wangshu Fairy is the leader of the younger generation of the Xuanxiao Sect, and her status and strength are enough to make her Saintess of the Xuanxiao Sect. She is also exceptionally mysterious and aloof; even for them, the junior elders, Wangshu Fairy is a rare sight. If such a remarkable figure were to appear at his Ancient Moon Residence, wouldn't he be rolling in money?

You Su had already left with light steps, turning back to reply with a smile, "Yes, Elder Zhu!"

The two elderly people, one thin and one fat, watched as You Su jogged towards Wangshu Fairy.

Elder Liu suddenly seemed to remember something, opened his palm, and said, "Bring out the tea."

Elder Zhu patted his belly, glared at his old friend, and said, "It's not yours, why are you in such a hurry? This is a return gift from You Su, understand?"

"As an elder, do you have any shame? That's tea that You Su left here temporarily. He forgot to take it, so I have an obligation to keep it safe for him," Elder Liu said righteously.

"You're really talking nonsense." Elder Zhu waved his hand, signaling Elder Liu to stop.

Elder Liu said angrily, "Hey! If you don't believe me, just call You Su back and ask him!"

"Just ask! Do you think he's giving it to you or me?"

After saying this, Elder Zhu turned to look at You Su as he walked away, and made as if to call out, but the sight before him made his jaw drop in shock.

He rubbed his eyes, looked away, and sighed, "I really am getting old; my eyesight is failing me."

"Are you seeing things? This Wangshu Fairy's care for her junior brother is a bit... a little too meticulous."

In the central courtyard of the Hall of Sutras, You Su was already lying in the arms of Wangshu Fairy. The renowned Goddess carried her into the air and disappeared behind the eaves amidst gasps of surprise.

At the Lotus Peak lies a celestial pool called Lotus Birth Pool.

The Lotus Birth Pool was surrounded by misty clouds, yet the water was crystal clear. Only in the very center of the Heavenly Pond stood a pure white lotus flower, its petals tinged with a faint, delicate pink.

The mature and beautiful Third Elder bent down and squatted sideways by the pond. Her full and rounded figure was deformed by her plump thighs, and for a moment, the spring scenery and the lotus in the pond complemented each other into a picturesque scene.

She stretched out her delicate hand and gently stroked the water's surface, creating ripples. Her beautiful brows furrowed, and she said reproachfully:

"Are you really about to die?"

He Shutong lotus-like body undulating, was mostly submerged in the water. She did not reply; the ripples that were stirred up disappeared instantly when they approached her body.

The Third Elder sighed softly upon seeing this. She knew that this was spiritual water from the Jade Ring Pool, which was the very place where the Lotus Sword Venerable had broken into the Void Realm. She could see that the Lotus Sword Venerable's Xuan Platform had been broken, and the powerful Mystic Qi accumulated over two hundred years was leaking out recklessly. She could only immerse herself in the Lotus Birth Pool and rely on the power of the spiritual water to temporarily restrain her scattered cultivation.

The Third Elder stood up, took another sip of wine, and said sadly:

"I found you the method to break the Ice Heart so that you could rebuild from the ashes, not so that you could break down again!"

He Shutong opened his eyes at this moment and looked at the Third Elder through the mist on the water's surface:

"This is my own choice."

The Third Elder felt angry but had nowhere to vent her anger. She bit her lip, her eyes dimming, and sighed:

"I shouldn't have told you this method in the first place..."

He Shutong's heart was already broken, so she could naturally sense the Third Elder's remorse. She pursed her lips and said:

"This is not the Third Elder's fault. I am very grateful to the Third Elder for telling me this method. I have no regrets."

"Two hundred years of cultivation have become like water that cannot be grasped in this pool, and you still say you have no regrets?"

"Um."

The Third Elder was taken aback, surprised by He Shutong's decisive action. She asked, puzzled:

Why did it come to this?

He Shutong was silent for a moment, then replied:

"To live like a human being."

The Third Elder repeated the words in a low voice, "People in the world seek to become immortals, but the Thirteenth Elder of the Void Glimpse Realm can clearly be considered a true immortal beyond this world, so why is he so obsessed with becoming a human?"

When she told the Thirteenth Elder the method to break the Ice Heart curse, she never imagined that the Thirteenth Elder's obsession would be so deep.

"You really live an extremely awkward life."

He Shutong didn't refute it; on the contrary, she felt the assessment was extremely apt. She looked at the Third Elder, who was drinking with his head tilted back, and asked:

"Why would the Third Elder help me?"

"I can't stand anything awkward; I have to make it right. Is that not allowed?"

The Third Elder raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on He Shutong's beautiful face.

Over the years, her assistance to the Thirteenth Elder was not limited to this one instance. Of the thirteen Grand Elders of the Xuanxiao Sect, besides her, only the Lotus Sword Venerable remained as a female cultivator. If she didn't help her, who else could she help?

"Sure."

The Third Elder curled his lip and asked again:

"In your condition, who else would know?"

"First Elder."

"That's alright. The First Elder has nothing to do with us Twelfth Elder, so he won't say anything. But you can't hide your condition for long; you can't stay in this pool forever. It'll be hard for the other Grand Elders not to notice something's wrong."

"Yes, I know."

"So why did you send me this message?"

"Do I need a reason? It was the Third Elder who told me this method, so of course I have to tell the Third Elder the result."

The Third Elder rolled her eyes playfully. The Thirteenth Elder was clearly not very good at being a "person." Although there was no hint of blame in her tone, it sounded as if the Thirteenth Elder was complaining about her.

"Your result is hardly good."

"Shouldn't the Third Elder be hoping that I would fall from grace so that he could take Wangshu under his wing?"

"She can even refuse the sect leader's invitation, how could she possibly come here?"

"Wangshu... is indeed stubborn."

"You used the word 'also' with a good sense of self-awareness."

With the Third Elder's assessment, she had to admit that the Thirteenth Elder was no longer the same as before, like a block of ice that would never melt. As if remembering something, she asked solemnly:

What exactly happened in Chuyun City?

"I don't know the whole story either; let's wait for the Evil Warding Department to investigate."

The Third Elder shook her wine gourd and suddenly narrowed her beautiful eyes.

The sealing of Mystic Qi is not uncommon among cultivators, as there are always various situations that require one to return to one's original state. As long as one follows the proper order and is patient during the process of rebuilding one's cultivation, one can usually recover without any problems. However, the fact that the Thirteenth Elder's profound energy platform was shattered to this extent was clearly caused by forcibly circulating his energy.

What could possibly motivate the Lotus Sword Venerable to forcibly circulate his Qi at the cost of his cultivation?

"Do you have a way to mend your mind?"

He Shutong pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying:

There is no method that can guarantee recovery.

"You really don't consider the consequences when you do things. You can't be paying such a high price just to take on this new disciple, can you?"

He Shutong remained silent upon hearing this, while the Third Elder opened his mouth slightly in surprise and exclaimed:

"Really?! Are you crazy? He's just a blind man, is he worth it?"

"Worth."

The Third Elder was slightly taken aback, because she could sense that just as she was belittling You Su, the Thirteenth Elder's demeanor turned icy cold again.

"Are you also trying to get that...?"

"Taking him as a disciple is just for the sake of taking him as a disciple," He Shutong interrupted coldly.

The Third Elder sighed deeply, "I understand what you mean... I hope you won't regret your decision."

"Won't."

"Don't be so certain. You still hope that the disciple you spent so much money to recruit can smoothly complete the registration process, right?"

"A report?"

The Third Elder immediately understood why she was puzzled. So far, the Thirteenth Elder had only accepted one disciple, Xiao Wangshu, and because of Wangshu's special circumstances, the reporting process had not been followed.

The Third Elder then explained the reporting process for True Disciple to He Shutong. He Shutong had previously been indifferent to these matters, but now that she understood, she immediately understood why the Third Elder had said the word "peaceful".

He Shutong was almost certain that two elders would not remain silent during the public announcement period for the You Su — the Fifth Elder of Crimson Rainbow Peak and the Tenth Elder of Book Immortal Peak.

The thirteen peaks of the Xuanxiao Sect each specialize in different areas, such as alchemy, talismans, weapon crafting, and formations. However, there are two sword peaks: the Lotus Birth Sword of the Thirteenth Elder and the Crimson Rainbow Sword of the Fifth Elder. Since both are Way of the Sword, it's inevitable that people will discuss their relative strengths. But because the Lotus Birth Sword has only one disciple, Wangshu Fairy, who, upon her birth, overshadowed her peers, the Crimson Rainbow Peak inevitably suffers some disdain. For many years, many disciples aspiring to the Way of the Sword have chosen the Lotus Peak as their first choice, only giving up when the Lotus Peak refused to accept disciples. The Crimson Rainbow Peak seemed to become a second-best option. Now that You Su has become the second True Disciple of the Lotus Peak, the Crimson Rainbow Peak is bound to make a move.

As for the Book Immortal Peak, the reason why they wouldn't let You Su complete the seven-day process easily is simple: the thirteen peaks of Lotus Peak are the other half that He Shutong cleaved off from the Book Immortal Peak.

"The Grand Elder has already granted You Su the status of True Disciple, do we still need to go through these procedures?"

"Sending him to report was instructed by the Grand Elder to do so by Elder Liu."

The Third Elder explained, "Otherwise, Elder Liu wouldn't have been so anxious to come and ask her to deliver a message."

He Shutong's face was hidden in the mist, making it impossible to discern her expression.

She thought that taking You Su as her apprentice was compensation for him, but she never expected that it would cause him unnecessary suffering. It was her arrogance that made her owe You Su once again.

With a splash of water, she stood up in the Lotus Birth Pool, and the surrounding fairyland scenery paled in comparison.

"What are you going to do?" The Third Elder frowned.

"I can't hide here and let him face all this alone."

"Are you crazy?! Leaving the Lotus Birth Pool now is a huge loss every moment. Do you really want to fall into the mortal world and become a mere mortal?!" the Third Elder scolded.

I can't owe him any more...

He Shutong did not answer, but simply clutched her prominent chest, feeling a dull ache.

Seeing her silence, the Third Elder stomped his foot in anger and said:

"Thirteenth Elder! Don't you have any faith in him at all? If he can't even get past this hurdle, he's not worthy of being your disciple!"

I am unworthy to be his teacher's Mistress...

He Shutong sighed softly, "Third Elder, my mind is made up. You don't need to try to persuade me anymore."

The Third Elder, initially furious, calmed down. She had never seen the Thirteenth Elder so devoted to someone, and couldn't help but wonder what kind of relationship this two-hundred-year-old woman had with this naive blind boy.

"Your disciples, especially this blind man, probably don't know that you're not here in seclusion at all, but rather severely injured, do they?" the Third Elder asked coldly.

He Shutong remained silent.

"If you don't want him to know, then stay here quietly. If anything happens, I'll help him out."

"Thanks..."

"Don't worry, just focus on healing. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll also try to find some ancient methods to repair your spiritual platform, so that I won't be the only woman left on this desolate mountain peak again."

The Third Elder gave a wry smile, took a long sip of wine, shook his head, and walked away with a graceful gait.

She understood that she had not been able to persuade the Thirteenth Elder at all.

She was only annoyed by these stubborn people; they knew they were being stubborn, so why didn't they know to change?